So I deleted Windows – but why did I have it in the first place?

It’s an odd juxtaposition: I’m the editor of a site that revolves around Ubuntu and its ecosphere yet for the last year I’ve had Windows 7 happily nestled next to Ubuntu on my hard-drive.

Yesterday I finally purged myself of it after asking myself one question – what do I use it for? – and replying with the short answer of ‘Nothing’.

Windows and I: A tale of one sidedness

I’m not, despite my stewardship and love for Ubuntu, a rabid ‘Windows hater’. I dislike a hell-of-a-lot of what Microsoft do, stand for and how they go about things, but their latest product, Windows 7, isn’t all that bad as an experience. Shocking admission, right?

Admittedly it has a collection of numerous (large) flaws – probably a lot more than OS X or, don’t hate me for saying this, Ubuntu – but flaws are flaws no matter how big or small; no-OS is perfect despite hype or posturing claiming otherwise.

But although I had Windows installed I didn’t actually use it for anything vital. The only ‘windows-centric’ task I can think of it for the ‘joy’ of spending an iTunes gift-card given to me by relatives, bang on schedule twice a year. (No matter how much you say you don’t use iTunes it seems ubiquitous amongst people as something ‘young people like’.)

So why keep it if I didn’t need it? Of all the possible reasons one might think or justify it’s down to the obtuse chains of a trait I get from my Mother: hoarding (!).

“But… but… but…”

Of all things I kept Windows 7 primed for action on my system not because I needed it but because I though I might need it. I’m not a huge gamer; I no longer do freelance design work (thanks OMG! ;)) necessitating access to Adobe’s suite of editing products; and I certainly don’t prefer the Windows experience over Ubuntu. My sole reason for keeping it around was based on a hypothetical ‘what if’ rather than a practical, qualitative reason.

Anyway the point of this is that it got me wondering about how many other people keep Windows installed solely out of the ‘just in case’ scenario rather than the ‘rely on Windows application’ one. I suspect that many are/were like me and keep/kept Windows around for no dedicated reason.

I ignored the voice in my head and gained 80GB of free space as a result. What about you?